Essentially an action packed relationship triangle that involves love, lust and loyalty. Set during the American Revolution, an unlikely friendship emerges between an injured patriot soldier Jonathon Becket and redcoat Private Sam Gilpin. From here the love triangle unfolds between Jonathon, his betrothed Caroline and Sam. The narrative is an intricate weave of missed chances of mischief and frolicking, and harrowing events to disrupt the obvious course of the storyline and encourages the unlikely.

This narrative runs alongside a parallel storyline which involves a failed courtship between an English arcane Captain Vane and wealthy patriot Martha Crowl. Firstly Martha uses Captain Vane as a boost into the rich social life of the upper classes of Philadelphia, and then publicly humiliates the Captain which evokes his subtle but terrible revenge. This is portrayed in such a way that Cornwell must have experienced the emotions expressed himself or observed a similar relationship at a very close range.

The two linear narratives are kept in check by a strict timescale provided by events in the American Revolution which are impartially described in great detail when one of the main characters is involved.

There are many sub-plots that subtly intertwine with the main storyline to make your wholesome feeling of entertaining predictability disappear and shock the system with outlandish but perfectly feasible events to entice the reader.

Overall a perfectly delectable book that keeps you hooked completely until the end, the characters are so easy to love and hate they seem perfectly real while you are enmeshed with the reading this book.